Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
This week we focus on John the Baptist, his teachings, and the baptism of Jesus Christ. Christ's example of being willing to make and keep his baptismal covenant helps us in our lives and makes our lives easier. Our baptismal covenant makes our lives easier. As President Russel M. Nelson taught, "… making and keeping covenants actually makes life easier! Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ."
Introduction to Mark
Synoptic Gospels. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording. The term synoptic means ‘seeing with the same eye.’
Each author shares common events with a different perspective and emphasis.
John the Baptist taught that Christ “shall come, as it is written in the book of the prophets, to:
Elder David A. Bednar: “We are commanded and instructed to so live that our fallen nature is changed through the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost. President Marion G. Romney taught that the baptism of fire by the Holy Ghost ‘converts us from carnality to spirituality. It cleanses, heals, and purifies the soul. … Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, and water baptism are all preliminary and prerequisite to it, but the baptism of fire is the consummation. To receive this baptism of fire is to have one’s garments washed in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ’ (Learning for the Eternities, comp. George J. Romney 1977, 133; see also 3 Nephi 27:19-20).“Hence, as we are born again and strive to always have His Spirit to be with us, the Holy Ghost sanctifies and refines our souls as if by fire (see 2 Nephi 31:13-14, 17). Ultimately, we are to stand spotless before God” (“Clean Hands and a Pure Heart,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 81).
President Russell M. Nelson: “… making and keeping covenants actually makes life easier! Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth!
"The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher power. Thus, covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes to them through their covenantal relationship with God." (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/47nelson?lang=eng)
The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that the Holy Ghost did not appear as a dove after the baptism of Jesus Christ. Rather, the descending dove signified that the Holy Ghost was present on that occasion. Joseph Smith taught:
“The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith 2007, 81).
Historical Context
fifteenth year . . . Tiberius: Because Tiberius comes to power in AD 14, after the death of Augustus on August 19, the year seems to be AD 29. But variant ways of reckoning calendrical matters tell Us that we cannot be more certain than the general period AD 27-29.
Pontius Pilate: Usually called "governor ofJudea," as in the KJV, Pilate's actual title is prefect… The prefect's responsibilities are threefold: (1) to keep the peace-he controls soldiers who function as police; (2) to judge, as illustrated in the case of Jesus; and (3) to care for the economic interests of Rome and Judea, including the collection of taxes.
Herod: This person is Herod Antipas, second son of Herod the Great. He is "not born earlier than 20 B.C." and is thus fifteen or sixteen years of age when his father, Herod the Great, dies in 4 BC and Antipas becomes tetrarch. It is Antipas who arrests John the Baptist after the latter criticizes him for convincing his half-brother's wife, Herodias, to leave Philip and marry him (see 3:19-20; Mark 6:17-18). (Brown, The Testimony of Luke, p. 176-177)
Herodias: We know a fair amount about this woman. She is born to Aristobulus, a son of Herod the Great, and to Berenice, Herod's niece. While a child, she is betrothed to Herod's son, also named Herod. Her only known child is a daughter named Salome. Herodias accepts a proposal of marriage from Herod Antipas, a cousin, while still married. She seems to be ambitious and pushes her second husband, Antipas, still a tetrarch, whom she marries when she is almost forty years of age, into seeking royal privileges from the new emperor Gaius (AD 37-41). When the request fails because of alleged treachery, she goes into exile in Gaul, or France, with Antipas. Her jealous and ambitious character is consistent with Mark's description of her plot to have the Baptist executed (see Mark 6:19-28). (Brown, The Testimony of Luke, p. 200)
Tetrarch: The term means originally "ruler of a fourth part." After the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC, the Roman emperor divides Herod's kingdom among several, including two sons and a daughter, Salome. Except for the governorship of Pilate over Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, which begins in AD 26, the territories that Luke mentions are all in the northern part of the region. From 4 BC to AD 39, Herod Antipas governs the area west of the Sea of Galilee, as well as a strip of land that lies on the east bank of the Jordan River and Dead Sea called Perea.
Galilee: This territory lies west of the Sea of Galilee, and includes the important city of Sepphoris, whose remains stand three miles north of Nazareth; but Antipas's tetrarchy does not reach the Mediterranean coast.
his brother Philip: The third son of Herod the Great and half brother of Antipas, Philip governs from 4 B c until AD 33 or 4 the territory between the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon that includes Caesarea Philippi which he founds at one of the sources of the Jordan River.
Lysanias: Mentioned only here, this man governs a region northeast of Mount Hermon. (Brown, The Testimony of Luke, p. 176-177)
Teaching Thoughts:
1.How does your baptismal covenant make life easier?
2.How has the gift of the Holy Ghost made life easier?
3.How has Christ’s example made life easier?
4.“… making and keeping covenants actually makes life easier!”
Introduction to Mark
- Mark (also called John Mark) is the author of this book. Although Mark was not among the original disciples of Jesus Christ, he later converted and became an assistant to the Apostle Peter, and he may have written his Gospel based on what he learned from Peter (see Bible Dictionary, “Mark”).
- Mark and his mother, Mary, lived in Jerusalem; their home was a gathering place for some of the earliest Christians (see Acts 12:12). Mark left Jerusalem to help Barnabas and Saul (Paul) on their first missionary journey (see Acts 12:25; 13:4–6, 42–48). Paul later wrote that Mark was with him in Rome (see Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24) and praised Mark as a companion who was “profitable to [him] for the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). Peter referred to him as “Marcus my son” (1 Peter 5:13), suggesting the closeness of their relationship.
- Mark helps us to see Jesus Christ as he “walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead.” (“The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” Ensign or Liahona, Apr. 2000, 2.)
Synoptic Gospels. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording. The term synoptic means ‘seeing with the same eye.’
Each author shares common events with a different perspective and emphasis.
John the Baptist taught that Christ “shall come, as it is written in the book of the prophets, to:
- •take away the sins of the world, and
- •bring salvation unto the heathen nations,
- •gather together those who are lost, who are of the sheepfold of Israel; yea, even the dispersed and afflicted;
- •to prepare the way, and make possible the preaching of the gospel unto the Gentiles;
- •be a light unto all who sit in darkness, unto the uttermost parts of the earth;
- •bring to pass the resurrection from the dead,
- •to ascend up on high,
- •dwell on the right hand of the Father, until the fullness of time, and the law and the testimony shall be sealed, and the keys of the kingdom shall be delivered up again unto the Father;
- •administer justice unto all;
- •come down in judgment upon all, convince all the ungodly of their ungodly deeds, which they have committed…” (JST Luke 3:5-9)
Elder David A. Bednar: “We are commanded and instructed to so live that our fallen nature is changed through the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost. President Marion G. Romney taught that the baptism of fire by the Holy Ghost ‘converts us from carnality to spirituality. It cleanses, heals, and purifies the soul. … Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, and water baptism are all preliminary and prerequisite to it, but the baptism of fire is the consummation. To receive this baptism of fire is to have one’s garments washed in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ’ (Learning for the Eternities, comp. George J. Romney 1977, 133; see also 3 Nephi 27:19-20).“Hence, as we are born again and strive to always have His Spirit to be with us, the Holy Ghost sanctifies and refines our souls as if by fire (see 2 Nephi 31:13-14, 17). Ultimately, we are to stand spotless before God” (“Clean Hands and a Pure Heart,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 81).
President Russell M. Nelson: “… making and keeping covenants actually makes life easier! Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth!
"The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher power. Thus, covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes to them through their covenantal relationship with God." (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/47nelson?lang=eng)
The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that the Holy Ghost did not appear as a dove after the baptism of Jesus Christ. Rather, the descending dove signified that the Holy Ghost was present on that occasion. Joseph Smith taught:
“The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith 2007, 81).
Historical Context
fifteenth year . . . Tiberius: Because Tiberius comes to power in AD 14, after the death of Augustus on August 19, the year seems to be AD 29. But variant ways of reckoning calendrical matters tell Us that we cannot be more certain than the general period AD 27-29.
Pontius Pilate: Usually called "governor ofJudea," as in the KJV, Pilate's actual title is prefect… The prefect's responsibilities are threefold: (1) to keep the peace-he controls soldiers who function as police; (2) to judge, as illustrated in the case of Jesus; and (3) to care for the economic interests of Rome and Judea, including the collection of taxes.
Herod: This person is Herod Antipas, second son of Herod the Great. He is "not born earlier than 20 B.C." and is thus fifteen or sixteen years of age when his father, Herod the Great, dies in 4 BC and Antipas becomes tetrarch. It is Antipas who arrests John the Baptist after the latter criticizes him for convincing his half-brother's wife, Herodias, to leave Philip and marry him (see 3:19-20; Mark 6:17-18). (Brown, The Testimony of Luke, p. 176-177)
Herodias: We know a fair amount about this woman. She is born to Aristobulus, a son of Herod the Great, and to Berenice, Herod's niece. While a child, she is betrothed to Herod's son, also named Herod. Her only known child is a daughter named Salome. Herodias accepts a proposal of marriage from Herod Antipas, a cousin, while still married. She seems to be ambitious and pushes her second husband, Antipas, still a tetrarch, whom she marries when she is almost forty years of age, into seeking royal privileges from the new emperor Gaius (AD 37-41). When the request fails because of alleged treachery, she goes into exile in Gaul, or France, with Antipas. Her jealous and ambitious character is consistent with Mark's description of her plot to have the Baptist executed (see Mark 6:19-28). (Brown, The Testimony of Luke, p. 200)
Tetrarch: The term means originally "ruler of a fourth part." After the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC, the Roman emperor divides Herod's kingdom among several, including two sons and a daughter, Salome. Except for the governorship of Pilate over Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, which begins in AD 26, the territories that Luke mentions are all in the northern part of the region. From 4 BC to AD 39, Herod Antipas governs the area west of the Sea of Galilee, as well as a strip of land that lies on the east bank of the Jordan River and Dead Sea called Perea.
Galilee: This territory lies west of the Sea of Galilee, and includes the important city of Sepphoris, whose remains stand three miles north of Nazareth; but Antipas's tetrarchy does not reach the Mediterranean coast.
his brother Philip: The third son of Herod the Great and half brother of Antipas, Philip governs from 4 B c until AD 33 or 4 the territory between the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon that includes Caesarea Philippi which he founds at one of the sources of the Jordan River.
Lysanias: Mentioned only here, this man governs a region northeast of Mount Hermon. (Brown, The Testimony of Luke, p. 176-177)
Teaching Thoughts:
1.How does your baptismal covenant make life easier?
2.How has the gift of the Holy Ghost made life easier?
3.How has Christ’s example made life easier?
4.“… making and keeping covenants actually makes life easier!”